


I see the whole sky

by sebfish



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: F/M, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Pittsburgh Penguins, Summer, Sunburns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-03-06 04:45:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18843916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebfish/pseuds/sebfish
Summary: “You’re going to burn like that.”Zhenya grunts and doesn’t move, sprawled out shirtless across a deck chair like a lizard, fat and lazy in the sun. He’s already starting to pink up a little, especially across his shoulders and the back of his neck, and Anya knows that he’ll probably complain about it later.





	I see the whole sky

**Author's Note:**

  * For [saintroux](https://archiveofourown.org/users/saintroux/gifts).



> Written mostly for the prompt 3) counting freckles on a sunburned neck, and a little for 1) I think of lovers as trees, growing to and from one another
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing this, thank you for the excellent prompts. 
> 
> Title from Summer by Wild, it's a very summer vibes song that I've been listening to lately. 
> 
> This is a work of fiction and no harm is meant, please exit if you got here by searching for yourself or someone you know.

“You’re going to burn like that.”

Zhenya grunts and doesn’t move, sprawled out shirtless across a deck chair like a lizard, fat and lazy in the sun. He’s already starting to pink up a little, especially across his shoulders and the back of his neck, and Anya knows that he’ll probably complain about it later.

She’ll make Sid deal with him, when he gets back. She resettles herself on her own chair, in the shade, because she’s been working on her tan but she’s had enough sun for now, and today’s a good day for shorts and a tank top and a good book in the shade.  

Even if she spends most of the year here, she hasn’t yet gotten tired of being in Miami. It’s better now, though, with Sid and Zhenya here, even though she knows they wish they were still playing longer into the summer. She wishes so too, but there’s a small selfish part of her that’s happier to have them here, all hers for a little while.

Sid will be going to Canada, of course, and she and Zhenya will go home to Russia, and a few months, they’ll go back to Pittsburgh and start it all over again, but for now, they’ve got a little bit of peace and quiet and sunshine.

She and Zhenya had talked about bringing Sid with them, of course, but there’s no guarantee that he’ll want to come, as much as he likes his usual haunts and routines.

She almost asleep behind her sunglasses, book heavy and forgotten in her lap, when she hears the patter of running feet. She opens her eyes and sits up to see Nikita running out and up to her. Sid comes trailing after, grinning.

“Mama, we got ice cream!” he says excitedly.

“Oh, did you?” she says, and exchanges a small smile with Sid.

 “We got some for later, too,” he says in English. His Russian is getting better, but he’s still better at understanding what he hears than speaking it. He tries sometimes, though, and it’s very sweet.

He comes over and leans in to brush a kiss across her mouth, sweet and gentle, and then goes to poke Zhenya awake.

“Hi Sid,” Zhenya says, sleepily.

“You’re starting to burn,” Sid says, pressing fingers to his pink shoulders, “you should come inside, I’m gonna start supper.”

“Okay,” Zhenya says, slowly levering himself up off the chair. He scoops up Nikita on his way inside, who starts telling him all about his trip to the grocery store with Sid, and Anya smiles.

“You coming?” Sid asks, lurking by her chair.

“Yes,” she says, and lets him pull her up.

 

 

 

Anya wanders in after Sid, the cool air of the AC hitting her like a wave. It’s pleasant, after the heat of the sun, and she grins at the sight of Nikita chattering along at Zhenya in the kitchen. Nikita’s perched up on a bar stool, kicking his feet and eating grapes, while Zhenya rummages in the fridge and finally emerges with a triumphant sound and a bottle of Gatorade.

“Oh, that’s what I forgot,” Sid says, pulling a loaf of bread out of the cupboard. Anya perches on a stool next to Nikita, resting her chin on her hand.

“Still some left, just not cold,” Zhenya says, draining it halfway.

“Okay,” Anya says, “add to list, I’ll go tomorrow.”

Sid makes a contemplative noise and starts pulling things out of the fridge. “I got stuff for sandwiches, but we can do something else if you want?”

“Sandwiches are fine,” she says, then adds in Russian. “Zhenya, I put the aloe on the top shelf of the fridge earlier, if you want it.”

“Ugh,” he says, fishing out a cutting board and passing it to Sid, “I’ll probably need it.”

“I can help,” Sid says in his slow, careful Russian, as he starts slicing a tomato. “After supper?”

“Yes,” Zhenya says, and steals a tomato slice. Sid giggles and elbows him, and Nikita laughs.

 

 

 

He wouldn’t give up hockey, not yet, but sometimes Sid thinks days like this might be better, when he’s playing house with Anna and Geno and can pretend that there’s nothing else in the world right now. Miami is the kind of warm hazy sunshine that doesn’t quite feel real, and even if it’s not somewhere he’d want to spend the whole year, he can see why Anna and Geno like it so much.

It’s even better right now, with Geno spread out underneath him on the bed, even if his skin is just on the wrong side of pink. Geno hisses and flinches as he squirts a glob of aloe on his back and starts spreading it around with careful fingers.

“Cold,” he complains, but settles into it with a sigh. Geno’s skin is hot under his fingers, even through the cool slickness of the aloe, but he slowly melts under Sid’s careful strokes over his shoulders.

“You’re getting freckles on the back of your neck,” Sid murmurs, touching them lightly, then squirts a little more to get the rest of him. Geno hums, lulled halfway to sleep.  

It’s quiet, with the soft hum of the air conditioner and the soft sounds of his hands sliding over Geno’s skin. He lingers, a little, even though he’s mostly done, because it’s nice to be like this, just touching the bare planes of Geno’s back.

He hears the door shut softly behind him, and Anna walks softly up to the bed and sits on the end of it, watching.

“Nikita is sleeping,” she says, then says something in pointed Russian that’s clearly aimed at Geno. He catches enough of it to know that she’s teasing him for getting burned.

“Yes, yes, very stupid,” Geno says, muffled into the comforter. He turns his head enough that Sid can see his face, sleepy and soft and happy. “But Sid take care.”

Sid chuckles and smooths down Geno’s shoulder one more time, then leans in to brush a kiss over his forehead. Geno tilts his head up, waiting, and Sid kisses him, softly.

“Better,” Geno says, and Sid laughs and gets up to wash his hands and get ready for bed.

 

 

 

Anya goes to retrieve her phone while Sid’s in the bathroom, and prods Zhenya into sitting upright. He’s been sleeping most of the day anyway, and he’ll never sleep tonight if he sleeps the evening away.

“I asked Masha about the beginning of June” she says, scrolling through the airline website. “She says she’ll be in Moscow then, so I can see her.”

“Sounds good,” Zhenya says, wincing as he stretches, “maybe Sid and I can take some time to see around, you know?”

“You asked him?”

Zhenya’s chagrined look is enough of an answer. She rolls her eyes and selects a flight, looking at the available seats.

“Ask him what?” Sid says, coming out of the bathroom. He’s stripped down to his boxers, even though it’s not quite bed time yet. She’s still not tired of the sight, as many times as she’s seen him naked now.

She elbows Zhenya, gently, and he huffs.

“You are coming with us to Russia?” he asks.

“Oh,” Sid says, clearly taken aback. “I, uh, really?”

“Yes,” Anya says, closing out of the browser and setting her phone to the side. “Thinking we go in a few weeks, you come with?”

“Oh,” Sid says, sitting on the bed. “That’s, you’d want me to come? I figured it was family time.”

“Of course,” Anya says, switching back to Russian. “You’re family too, you know. And then when you want to go back to Canada, maybe we can come too for a while.”

“Yeah,” he answers, and there’s something soft and hopeful in his expression that she’s not quite sure she knows how to parse.

But Zhenya knows him better than he knows anyone, and he tugs Sid in closer.

“Sid,” he says, “this not just for summer, you know? Not just during season, want you always.”

“I want it too,” Sid says. “God, Geno, I want to go with you both to Russia, I want to see your home there and get to be part of it with you. And I’d love if you all came with me to Cole Harbour, even for a short visit.”

“Long visit, maybe,” Anya says. “Maybe forever, you stuck with us.” She grins a little, teasing, and Sid’s grin back is just as bright.

“I could live with forever,” he says.

“Yes,” she says, and means it.


End file.
